LG’s 27UD88-W is practically a gamer’s or professional PC user’s dream monitor. In addition to its wonderfully detailed, pixel packed 27 inch display with 4K ultra HD resolution, the LG UD88 also offers some of the most advanced and usable connectivity specs around, with HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2, multiple USB ports and to top these off, the cutting edge connectivity power of USB-C for some superb future-proofing and compatibility with Mac Notebooks. Then of course there is the UD88-W’s extremely high level of color performance and beautifully elegant physical design.

Coming in both a White version (the 27UD68-W) and a black model (27UD68-P), this LG monitor looks fantastically stylish, offers a nearly bezel-free display and fills that 27 inch screen space with some truly stunning 4K sharpness and fantastic color vibrancy. Behind these great specs, the 27UD68 also offers some of the most advanced connectivity among 4K monitors in its price range, with dual HDMI 2.0 ports and DisplayPort 1.2a, which is a very rare combo in 4K PC displays.

The Samsung UE590 UHD 28" monitor is the perfect choice for consumers looking for a monitor to suit their video entertainment and gaming needs. This monitor features specs thoroughly suited for such activities. It has a contrast ratio of 1000:1, response times between 1 and 4 ms, a tilt of -2 to 20 degrees, 2 HDMI ports and 1 DisplayPort. There are two offerings of this monitor, the U24E590D (23.5-inches) and the U28E590D (28-inches). Stunning realism from 8 million pixels makes you feel like you're actually there.

The Dell S2817Q is not only a superbly affordable for a 4K monitor, it’s also wonderfully designed for covering all the essentials of 4K PC gaming and office use. This model offers some of the best built-in speakers we’ve yet seen in a PC monitor and also offers up superb connectivity, great color performance and IPS-quality viewing angles.

Asus has built their MG28UQ to be one excellent all-around piece of 4K PC display hardware for both gamers and casual or office users. Featuring some great display specs, cutting edge connectivity with HDMI 2.0, HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort and multiple USB slots, the MG28UQ also comes with a fully adjustable support and is VESA mountable as well. AMD AdaptiveSync technology makes this a great model for 4K PC gameplay in particular.

The Dell 27 inch P2715Q Ultra HD 4K Monitor has a 3840 x 2160 resolution, precise color coverage for over 1.07 billion colors, and has over 8 million pixels that help you see extremely fine details onscreen. Its stand features full adjustability to increase or decrease the height, change the tilt, pivot and swivel. This monitor is equipped with a DisplayPort 1.2 that allows you to easily chain two monitors together via the DP-in and DP-out ports, eliminating the need to link every one of your monitors to the PC and reducing cable clutter.

The ViewSonic VX2475Smhl-4K was designed for gaming, entertainment and photo/graphics applications. This monitor produces stunning definition thanks to its features, including: SuperClear PLS panel technology for wide-angle viewing, 120M:1 dynamic contrast ratio and a 4ms response time. It also has features which Viewsonic is calling “future proof”: DisplayPort 1.2a, MHL connectivity, and HDMI 2.0. Integrated into the monitor are dual 2W speakers that when combined with the aforementioned features, create the ultimate multimedia experience.

This 27" monitor with an aspect ratio of 16:9, a contrast ratio of 5M:1, 5ms response time, and 178 degree viewing angle make for an amazingly beautiful, practical computer monitor. It has three gaming settings, a black stabilizer that brightens dark scenes, 4-screen split mode to allow for increased productivity and dual link up to connect two compatible devices to the monitor at the same time.

This 10-bit 27-inch monitor is perfect for those who work on color-critical applications, such as content developers and graphics professionals, thanks to its display of up to 1.07 billion colors with a 14-bit 3D look-up table and Delta E≤2 color palette of up to 4.39 trillion colors. This monitor provides superior color accuracy and performance, images and videos onscreen have incredible clarity and appear very realistic. Also features multipicture functionality for efficient multitasking, HDMI 2.0 that supports 3840x2160 content at 60hz, dual MHL connectivity, 4 USB 3.0 ports, DisplayPort 1.2a, and an ergonomic design.

Top Rated 4k Professional and Display Monitors

The LG 27MU67-B 27" Class 4K UHD IPS LED Monitor is no exception to LG's excellent quality. It has been built with semi-professional grade specs that make it perfect for graphic design work and gaming. IPS display technology combines with a sRGB coverage to display maximum clarity and colors. This makes the MU67 great for photo editing. It also features AMD's FreeSync to minimize tearing and stuttering on screen for fluid movements. One of the biggest selling points of this monitor is the four screen split and Dual Link Up features.

The Samsung UD970 is such a simple, elegant and thin monitor. Though it is on the pricey side, this monitor is a serious piece of hardware perfect for your professional needs. The matte finish of the screen ensures minimal glare. The technical specs include: full connectivity, color enhancement and brightness, tilt, swivel, height and orientation between portrait and landscape modes. It has the flexibility to be used for a plethora of different applications thanks to its picture by picture support for different sources, picture in picture mode and adjustable spectrums.

This monitor sports a 10-bit color depth that supports over 1 billion colors that enables accurate, detailed and natural looking images. By supporting Adobe RGB over 99.5% on the IPS Display, the 31MU97 minimizes color difference and color loss with the wide color gamut and color temperature that covers both the sRGB and CMYK color range. These, along with the dual screen option, allow you to effortlessly retouch photos to create final products with vivid and vibrant colors that VA or other LCD panels cannot deliver.

One of the first 5K monitors on the market, the Dell UP2715K delivers features and high quality specs with its relatively low price tag. In terms of the 5K quality, the pixel density present beautiful images and videos. The monitor itself is not as clunky as some 4K monitors out right now. This stand-alone monitor is great for connecting with various hardware types, unlike other 4 and 5K monitors. The color intensity and life-like display of content make this a great monitor for professional work such as editing.

This ViewSonic® Professional Ultra HD LED monitor delivers stunning definition for color-critical applications and is designed for Content Developers, Graphics Professionals &
Post Production. With 3840x2160 resolution, and SuperClear IPS technology for wide-angle viewing, this 10-bit monitor can display up to 1.07 billion colors, while a 14-bit 3D look-up table and pre-calibrated Delta E≤2 provides a color palette of up to 4.39 trillion colors. It also features split screen capabilities for up to four screens.

The ASUS PQ321Q True 4K UHD monitor is a 31.5-inch 4K display with ultra-high definition (UHD) 3840 x 2160 resolution and 140 pixels per inch (PPI) for impeccable visuals. It is built with an anti-glare, LED-backlit IGZO display delivers crisp, precise images with energy efficiency with an ultra-wide viewing angle. Additional features include DisplayPort and dual HDMI ports, Picture-by-Picture function, and built-in dual 2-watt stereo speakers. It is also the thinnest 4K monitor available, the PQ321Q is wall-mountable with full tilt, swivel, and height adjustment

Top Rated Computer Monitors and Displays Without 4k Resolution

These are the most popular, high quality monitors available that DO NOT support 4k resolution.

Overview of 4k Display Monitors

Given all the buzz currently working its way across the technology news landscape about 4K technology and Ultra HD resolution display, you’re probably curious about that the fuzz involves. Well, no need to look any further for an overview. We’re going to give you a rundown of what 4K display monitors are all about and explain every essential thing you need to know before buying one of your own –If that’s what you’re thinking about doing.

So What is 4K Display Technology Anyhow?

To start things off, let’s take a good look at what 4K technology itself is in relation to display screens, just in case you’re completely new to the game, check out this page on this guide on 4k resolution!

The term 4K refers to two general things: First, the fact that screens with this resolution have a total pixel count that’s at least 4 times higher than that of a normal Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel screen. And second, that the screen in question has a horizontal resolution of at least 4,000 pixels. The second definition of 4K is a bit flexible and many screens with horizontal resolutions of 3,840 pixels are still considered 4K UHD displays.

As we just mentioned above, conventional Full HD resolution technology gives you a pixel count of 1,920 x 1080 pixels while 4K displays quadruple that to give you at least 3,840 x 2,160 pixels and in many cases even more. The industry standard pixel resolution for 4K is in fact 4096 x 2160 pixels.

4K Display technology is being fitted into 4k projectors, 4k TV screens and 4k cameras with resolutions being found in the display monitors we’re talking about here.

Monitor Connectivity Considerations

When it comes to connecting your 4K ultra HD monitor to your PC, a few things that go above and beyond the usual for monitor to PC connections have to be kept in mind.

4K monitors generally come in two capacities, depending on their connection ports. There are those that can handle 4k content rendering at 30 frames per second and those that do it at 60 frames per second (with some few models capable of even higher frame rates). Obviously, you would prefer to have your monitor rendering motion in ultra HD at the much smoother 60 frames per second and this is where you need HDMI 2.0 ports on the monitor or a port for DisplayPort 1.2

Either of these two connection standards will give you your 60 frames, and ideally you’d have both of them available on your monitor since HDMI 2.0 is great for external media devices which contain 4K content while only being able to connect for 60Hz (fps) 4K content from one or two brands of video cards –currently, only the Nvidia 900 series GPU. DisplayPort is more widely compatible with PC GPUs and more ideally suited to gaming in 4K at a full and smooth 60Hz. Furthermore, use only certified DisplayPort cables if you can, for maximum possible compatibility with all possible connections and assurance of getting smooth 4K rendering without problems.

So What is a 4K Display Monitor?

A 4K monitor is essentially the same as your regular large screen PC/Mac display monitor but with the added benefit of a 4K UHD resolution built into it. Conventionally, 4K monitors are also quite a bit larger than most HD PC displays since 4K resolution is much easier to appreciate on a screen size of at least 32” inches.

They can range in size from 28” inches to well over 40” in diagonal size and the price of 4K monitors is equally variable to account for the different available sizes.

As for the types of monitors there are on the market, you might find yourself confused by terms like IPS, IGZO and TN, which are the three man display types in 4K and even HD monitor screens. TN panels are normally the cheapest types, followed by IPS panels and followed by IGZO panels as the premium category on the market Here is a quick breakdown of additional details for each:

TN Panels

These panels are aimed more at budget-minded gamers and mainstream users with their affordability. They do however offer some of the fastest response times around but leave a lot to be desired when it comes to color accuracy and sharp image at unusual viewing angles. For these reasons, they’re not the best choice for professional users.

IPS Panels

With IPS panels, you get your hands on some excellent image sharpness at all sorts of unusual viewing angles and also benefit from excellent color reproduction. However, the slowness of the screens can be problematic for gaming and video animation display. For comparison, many TN displays offer 1 millisecond response times while their IPS counterparts can only manage 4 milliseconds.

IGZO Panels

IGZO panels offer a different type of transistor in their panel’s TFT backplane. This distinguishes them from amorphous silicon using TN and IPS panels. It also allows them to offer a much better power usage and a lower physical mass, which makes IGZO technology great for the energy-hungry, hardware heavy 4K PC monitors.

Furthermore, when it comes to 4K displays of whichever type, you also benefit from a whole host of additional technological features that put them a cut above their cheaper regular resolution counterparts. Some of these specs include: much better refresh rates that go above 60 Hz (necessary if you want to render smooth movement under such a powerful resolution), connectivity for HDMI 1.4 and even 2.0 in some models, DisplayPort 1.2 connectivity and the ability to be turned into either a portrait or landscape position for content display.

All 4K monitors require a lot of juice to render their visuals optimally and if your computer is going to have one, you will need to make sure it has both a good enough graphics card and a powerful enough processor.

What’s the Difference Between 4K and UHD?

Since both terms frequently get tossed around in relation to anything 4K, it’s important that we clarify this point. In practical terms, there is no difference between 4K and UHD on the retail market most of the time. Both terms are used interchangeably for most display monitors and if you see a UHD resolution it’s also a 4K resolution.

However, properly speaking, 4K is the specific reference to resolution technology that gives users 4 times the pixel count of Full HD 1080p specifications while UHD can be used to refer to any ultra-high definition standard both below and above 4K levels. So for example, the still highly experimental 8K resolution of 7680×4320 pixels or more that probably won’t come out for at least half a decade is also considered UHD, while resolutions lower than 3,840 x 2160 but still two or three times greater than 1920 x 1080 pixels are also considered UHD.

If you’re ever in doubt about this when shopping for a 4K monitor or any 4K product, simply ask if it gives at least 3,840 x 2,160 pixels and you’re good to go with fitting the 4K standard.

How Much do 4K Monitors Cost?

4K monitors are luckily enjoying some of the biggest and best steady price drops in the 4K consumer display industry as a whole. While the first models that came out cost well over $3,000 dollars, very good 4K display monitors even from high end brand name manufacturers can now be found for less than $600 dollars. Some great examples of affordable 4K monitors are the Samsung U28D590D 4k Display Monitor with a price tag of less than $500 and the Asus PB287Q, which is one of the most affordable name brand displays on the market at a little over $600 USD.

However, there are still high end models that retail for above $3000 dollars and any screen that offers you more than 32” inches of diagonal display size will post much more than a smaller 28” inch screen.

Do I Really Need a 4K Monitor?

If you just want to do regular gaming, web browsing and software work on a conventional PC, then no, you probably don’t really need a 4K display monitor and in fact, unless your computer has a very good graphics card and internal processor, you might even have problems rendering 4K content on your screen.

However, if you want truly powerful, brilliantly clear display images or are a professional who needs a screen that renders even the finest visual details exquisitely, then yes, a 4K monitor for your PC or Mac is an absolutely ideal choice. Serious gamers who want to make the absolute best of their games’ native resolution capabilities will also fall in love with 4K display. It will render games like Crysis 3 so beautifully that you’ll feel like you could step into the screen.

What’s the Bottom Line?

The bottom line is that 4K technology is definitely here to stay. It’s going to keep growing in scope and an ever large quantity of Ultra HD streaming content will become available to gamers and TV/movie fans via their broadband connections. To take maximal advantage of this new development in resolution clarity, you should seriously think about getting an increasingly affordable 4K display monitor.

I think your Mac will have difficulty handling two 4k monitore. I recently got one LG 34UM65 34-inch Class monitor (34.0-inches Diagonal) features an 21:9 ultra-wide screen at my work and it is super for the price and it have the tunderbolt output which allows you 60hz or you can use HDMI and get 50hz. The wide format is a good alternative to two monitors. The Link to it above is incorrect take a look here: http://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-34UM65-P-ultrawide-monitor

Hello Patrick. Since we haven’t yet reviewed that particular Eizo monitor, I can’t speak effectively of its qualities, though I do know that Eizo is capable of creating good stuff. However, I can recommend the Asus as a very solid piece of technology and comes with very very few deficiencies in our view. I recommend it, though it would also depend on what you’re looking for: a gaming 4K monitor, a professional visual editing monitor or something for casual work and web browsing use?

[…on a side note – why do I have to re-type my comment – after I missed your wonderful CAPTCHA?
you can still keep my name and e-mail, so why not to keep the comment text itself, saving my time – to retype it?…]

Looking for nice IPS monitor that can be used both for professional editing along with gaming. Looks like LG is the only one providing quality IPS monitors? how about other branded “True color” monitors?

Hello Redditor, IPS monitors can actually be great for gaming just as long as you don’t mind the very slight lag in grey-to-grey response time that they come with. For example, the Samsung U28E590D and the Asus Swift PG27AQ 4K Ultra HD Monitor (which we’ll be posting a review of within a couple days) are both great PC displays for 4K gaming and their respective response times of 5 and, I think, 4 milliseconds aren’t too bad at all. Basically, IPS will give you more vibrant, realistic color along with better color and viewing angles. The key thing to keep in mind thus isn’t the IPS technology (unless it offers a truly slow response time) but the connectivity options. If an IPS monitor you like offers DP 1.2 and HDMI 2.0, you’re probably golden. If it comes with FreeSync or G-Sync and you have either an AMD or Nvidia (respectively, the first for Free-Sync and the second for G-Sync) GPU, then you’re probably golden. Both of the two monitors I mention above in this comment offer one or the other of these two GPU synching technologies.

Can you tell me more about what you did to create the LED Panel for the TV show Tanked. I am interested in recreating it with the Chicago skyline. Was it a custom project? Can you give me an estimate on the cost?

What do you think of a 4K monitor for office productivity work, eg. documents, web pages, spreadsheets, statistical graphics…? Are they a good choice for keeping multiple windows running with these applications, emulating or doing better than a dual monitor setup, by virtue of the workspace enabled by the higher resolution?

I’m surprised that there are no ‘glossy’ glass displays like Apple monitors in any of the 4K monitors. They all seem the same with dull colors and that slightly fuzzy fonts. I’ve ordered (and returned) a couple of them thinking they were glossy like the wonderful Apple monitor but they still had a anti glare coating that really destroyed the sharpness of the fonts and the vibrant colors. My last disappointment was the Lenovo Pro2840m, I really thought it would come close, but unfortunately again the coating destroyed everything. My old 1080 HP 2711x was incredibly more vibrant next to the Lenovo. I’m waiting some vendors start to compete with Apple and serve people like myself that much prefer glossy displays. If someone knows of any, please let me know. I’ve done many visits to Fry’s, Microcenter, Best Buy, etc. They all look the same, I believe they must use the same production technologies and factories.

I agree, what is the point of creating that beautiful resolution and killing it with a sheet of fuzzy plastic that dulls the colors and blurs the resolutions? The anti glare should be in the glass.
In photographic lenses you would never get rid of glare by putting a sheet of plastic over the lens.

I know costs prohibit this but it seems crazy to ruin a beautiful screen

I use an Apple iMac 5k at work and the fonts are so sharp it looks like a printed page. I use a dell qhd at home with anti glare and it looks grainy and fuzzy next to a qhd apple Cinema Display. I am thinking about buying a 4K and trying to remove the anti glare myself.

Bring on the glossy displays with anti glare not provided by grainy, color dulling plastic sheets

Between these 9 there is only 1 you can run 4k reasonably in native resolution – 40 inch Philips. Maybe somebody likes the very perfect sharpness of having 1920×1080 resolution on 4k monitor but I work with maps and every bit of space on the screen counts. So in my case I do not see any point of having 4k on small (28 inch) screen. I end up buying Wasabi Mango UHD420 shipped from Korea, 42″ inch monitor. Now after about 6 months of use I would never ever want to go back to these small monitors with so called “HD” resolution. Sure it is not perfect, you can’t compare it to professional Eizo monitors, but still very sharp screen, vivid colors etc. Also it is pretty big and for work on There are some reviews on youtube to check if you are interested. I think in the next few years the best solution for work on huge resolution “screen” will be virtual screen in oculus rift / HTC Vive / Sone Morpheus etc. anyway.

Hey there Vensi. 4K monitors are still digital picture monitors and these can always affect eye strain regardless of their specs. However, because most 4K PC monitors are of a premium design (even the cheaper ones), they tend to offer technologies which do make them a bit friendlier on the eyes, like their obviously sharper clarity, better qualities for blur-free text magnification and of other things like flicker reduction technology.

I’m looking for a 4k monitor to use with 2014 macbook pro retina and my nvidia shield tv. It’ll be mainly used for watching 4k/1080p videos, and using it as a computer screen/monitor. Not Really for gaming. Just video entertainment

Between LG 27UD68-P, Samsung UE590 UHD (28 or 24), and Dell 27 inch P2715Q which one would you choose for best video quality and colors?

Hey there Al, overall I’d say that the display specs and overall connectivity of the LG UD68 offer your best bet for display performance. The UD68 renders colors better, offers comparably good black levels to the Dell and Samsung models and it comes with FreeSync as well, which is always a bonus for gaming. It’s also a 10-bit color monitor (simulated 10-bit color) and possibly most important, it’s connectivity in terms of DisplayPort and HDMI is the best among the three models presented.

If you need perfect and crispy color do not buy LG 27UD88-W or LG 27UD68.
I bout them for both caccurate color and also general use like wathcing movie but :
1- The color are not what you expect from an IPS panel and also for wathing movies i had better exprience on cheaper IPS monitor .
2-My LG 27UD88 got an annoying defect after only 5 months of usage , a vertical blue line on right edge and a thin vertical red line on left edge which i gave it back and it made me so disappointed.
3-On LG website brightness is mentioned to be 350 cd/m2 but base on my experience it is definitely something less than 300 so i didn’t know why they provided such info.

Hi Looking for a 4K monitor for the new MacBook Pro 2016. Due to space can only look at 23-24″ max.
Any recommendations or upcoming ones to look out for?
At present the Apple LG endorsed ultrafine ones seem the only suitable ones at present.

I have purchased the Samsung UE590 UHD 28″ monitor. i would like to know if i had made the right choice with respect t my work nature which involves Photo editing with PS and Lr and occasional video viewing. ? Are the color production good for this monitor ? Is a way to calibrate manually or free software?
Also i plan to buy a MacBook pro retina ,, would both be compatible ?

I’d recommend the Dell model based on what we know of LG’s 4K monitor performance in general (it’s quite good) and 10-bit is always a major benefit for any UHD monitor, especially if you plan on using it for video editing. However, for better details, could you please specify the models you’re choosing between? Thanks Vighy.

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